I can't understand why my bed is so uncomfortable and open my eyes, only to scream. There, dangling right above my head is a spider. I swear I could be an athlete with how fast I just moved.

Stood amongst the ancient trees, the events of yesterday rush back. Did I really meet a unicorn?

There is no sign of the mysterious old man, so maybe I just dreamed him. Still, I am so desperate to get out of these woods that I'm willing to follow his directions. Hmm, North or East?

Aha! I scrabble in the backpack and pull out the compass that dad gave me. I choke, remembering happy memories of us orienteering together. Holding it out in a shaking hand, I slowly shift position until the needle points north, and then start walking.

Despite the loneliness, there is a certain peacefulness to the place. It is almost like I can breathe properly for the first time in ages and am slowly detoxifying after years of living in London.

Losing track of time, I am startled by a flash of vibrant blue as a bird flies across my path. It lands by a thicket laden with what looks like large raspberries. My stomach grumbles at the sight of the bird pecking at the fallen fruit.

There is only one cereal bar left and who knows when I will next find food. I hesitate, then decide to take a risk given that the plants have vicious thorns so are unlikely to be poisonous. Welcome juice explodes in my mouth and I greedily consume a handful, before catching movement out of the corner of my eye.

I freeze and stare wide-eyed as little men, maybe half a foot tall, frantically clamber within the thicket, sliding down thread-like ropes. Tiny baskets woven from dried grass, just the right size to hold a single fruit, go tumbling to the ground.

A nervous laugh bubbles in my throat. Am I hallucinating?

One of the little men gets stuck on a curved thorn and dangles precariously, his arms and legs flailing. Vision or not, I can't not help him out, so I carefully unhook him and place him in my palm. I can feel his body vibrate with terror and so speak softly, trying to reassure him that I mean no harm.

He speaks in a high-pitched, quavering voice, "W-w-what d-do ye want?"

"I'm lost. I am just trying to find my way out of these woods."

"Ye not be a pixie-eating giant then?"

"I promise." I place my free hand over my heart. "I'm Elle."

He eyes me warily, his gaze flicking towards the ground and back again. Evidently deciding that he is not on the menu, he introduces himself, "My name be Leaf."

A dark blue squirrel-like creature, with a long fluffy tail, bounds over and chitters around my feet, scolding me. I slowly bend down and gently place Leaf on the ground next to it.

"Would you like me to pick some fruit for you? Your friends seem to have dropped theirs."

"Friends? Pah!" Leaf shakes his head at the abandoned baskets. "Ye be kindly."

Once I have filled my empty sandwich box with berries, Leaf climbs onto the creature's back. It bounds off and stops periodically to ensure that I am keeping up. Less than an hour later we reach a grove of tall graceful silver birches and I am greeted by an enchanting scene from a fairytale.

At the base of each tree is a small door and a smattering of circular windows adorned with acorn cups as shutters. White pebbles mark pathways between the dwellings. Tiny people, dressed in greens, browns, reds and purples, mill about talking animatedly.

I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

My bubble is burst when the pixies look up at me and start screaming. In a blur of colour they run inside the trees, slamming the little doors shut and pulling in the shutters.

Unimpressed, Leaf shouts, "Come out, ye cowards. This be a friendly giant."

A pixie, who Leaf introduces as his father, is the first to dare to come out. The older pixie shuffles his feet and his eyes dart about like a mouse faced with an owl. I try not to loom, but it is hard given that I'm at least ten times their size.

"W-welcome to our village. We would be offering ye supper, but ..."

"Father," Leaf chastises, "She be a friend, not a pixie-munching foe. We shall go a-foraging."

.....

I wipe the sweat from my brow with my forearm, as my hands are caked with mud. With a final tug, I pull out a tufted reed from the margins of the pond, or Great Lake as Leaf proclaimed. I wash the thick tuberous root, before adding it to the pile.

Leaf grins and rubs his hands. "Ye be a hero, Elle. It takes us the best part of a day to heave just one out of the water and then drag it back to the village."

I'm not a big fan of having dirty hands and my back aches something rotten, but I feel a sense of accomplishment. I realise how privileged I've been, never having to worry about money or where the next meal is coming from.

When we get back to the grove of birches, the pixies swarm about me, their fear dissipating, and chatter excitedly about the bounty I'm carrying in my arms. They are so adorable that I smile, a warmth blooming in my chest and my aching limbs quite forgotten.

While the pixies industriously work on the reeds, I check my phone. It's like a compulsion, I know that there will be no signal, yet I still try, desperate to get a message to my friends, who must be worried sick. I also take a few photos. I can't explain any of this and want some evidence of my adventures.

The whole pixie village gathers for supper with me and I sit on a mossy bank, dining with my tiny hosts on roasted tubers and a wild forest salad.

After we have eaten, the pixie elder takes the opportunity to regale us all with tales. I wonder if there are other humans who might be able to help me and ask him.

"Once, when I was a young pixie, I left the shelter of the forest," he pauses and the pixie children gasp, utterly enrapt.

"I battled across an inhospitable terrain. 'Twas terrible and so dry that the ground drank the very sweat from my brow. Rocks, mightier than the greatest trees rose up; they were so tall that they touched the endless sky. I sailed upon a vast river, wider than the Great Lake and yet as clear as a dew drop. That is until the water darkened and the rock split revealing the terrible form of a giant!"

I shudder, not particularly liking the idea of meeting a giant, but I will risk it if it can help me find a way home. With more conviction than I feel, I state, "I will head that way tomorrow."

"Can ye not stay here with us?" Leaf asks hopefully, his eyes swimming with concern.

When I shake my head, he stands. "Then Fluffy and I will accompany you, at least to the edge of the forest."

.............

Across the land, the High King of Elysium is in his study listening to an update from Garrett, the head of his guard.

"Sire! Yesterday, a girl simply appeared in the Wild Western Woods in the company of a unicorn."

"What says the Watcher?"

"He says that it is of no import. However, it is most peculiar since unicorns so rarely consort with anyone. Furthermore, there is no trace of her in Elysium before this day."

The king's golden-yellow eyes narrow. "Keep her under observation." His mind turns to the kingdom in the west and he smiles. "I hear that Lord Nero has a most interesting captive."

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